Is the word "nickel" only means five cents? Joe was pretty looking forward to meet his ex-girlfriend in a bar.After a hour or two,a man sat next to him and said to him: I am the girl who you're waitin

Joey

Is the word "nickel" only means five cents? Joe was pretty looking forward to meet his ex-girlfriend in a bar.After a hour or two,a man sat next to him and said to him: I am the girl who you're waiting for.Obviously joe shocked and stared this guy very very carefully,turns out he is the exactly ex-grilfriend who just changed her sexuality. Conversation is: ex:"I know this comes as a shock to you." joe:"Please, if i had a nickel for every time a girl dumped me and disappeared for five years and came back as a guy, i'd have a nickel." In this conversation,is "nickel" means a small amount of surprise, or a five-year prison sentence,or just a five-dollar,or some kind related with gambling or something else?

Sep 25, 2012 1:37 AM

Answers · 5

A nickel is five (US) cents. The original expression is "if I had a nickel for every time (someone said X / that happened), I'd be rich." There are a lot of variations on the phrase, but the basic idea is that the speaker always hears the same line, or the same thing happened. The speaker begins the line and sets up the listener for "this always happens"... and then, surprisingly, ends with "...I'd have a nickel." That is, it has only happened once. This is a fairly common joke nowadays. Fans of The Young Ones sitcom would know "If I had a penny for every time I had to open the door; I'd have £5.63."

September 25, 2012

Yes, it means five cents in this context. He is saying this situation had never happened to him before. I can imagine.

September 25, 2012

Thanks a lot.

September 25, 2012

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